Kiteboarding on Koshkonong

It didn't feel like summer, although it was still August. A breezy October, fall day is what it felt like. I made the trip to Charley's Bluff on Lake Koshkonong, as it looked like some of the Madison riders were going to be there. I set some bad Karma when I arrive after driving over one of the kiters lines. Honestly, I didn't see them, as anyone else would have probably set theirs up in the grass. Still being a beginner, I was a bit concerned that I would be launching and landing the kite by myself. The launch spot was perfect for me, as it remains shallow for a few hundred yards out, and I was able to walk the kite back up when I got too close to the shore. When I was done trying to ride for the day, I got the camera out and took some picture of the riders who actually know what they are doing. These were captured with my new Canon 50D, which has a higher frame rate and cropped sensor for a little more reach. The lens was a 70-200mm f2.8 with a 1.4x extender lowering the aperture to f4. Here's a few of my favorites from the Koshkonong session.


I really like this picture, as you don't get to get the kite and kiter in the same frame usually without zooming way out. Having the kite come across the frame isn't something that happens all that often when you're in a stationary spot, and they are constantly moving with the kite higher in the sky.






On a cloudy day, it's difficult to get really stunning imagery from such a distance. The lighting was already dark on this shot, and I used Adobe Lightroom to create a silhouette of Bob making his signature turn.